As Ramadan nears its end, people continue to gather for Suhoor and Iftar, sharing blessings with loved ones.
Celebrities are coming together for Suhoor, Iftar, and game nights. Atiqa Odho too hosted an Iftar dinner recently.
Stars like Fawad Khan, Mawra Hocane, Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed, Asim Raza, Maria Wasti, Vaneeza Ahmed, Leila Zuberi, and others attended the event, delighting fans.
Check out some pictures here:
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will depart for a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on Saturday night. During his stay in Jeddah, he will also meet his Saudi Arabian counterpart, The News reported on Friday.
The Premier will discuss various projects during a meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Shehbaz Sharif will also invite MbS to visit Pakistan soon.
During his stay in Saudi Arabia, both countries will finalise multiple development projects, and continue bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture.
The sources of The News claimed that Saudi Arabia will also invest $1 billion in the Reko Diq project.
The schedule for PM Shehbaz’s visit will be finalised on Friday (today), said the sources.
Abrar Ul Haq made Bhangra popular in Pakistani pop music. His songs ‘Aaja Ni Baija Cycle Tey,’ and ‘Billo De Ghar’ are timeless hits played at every wedding. Bollywood recently remixed his song ‘Nach Punjaban.’ After quitting politics last year, Abrar Ul Haq has returned to making music.
Abrar was a guest on Ahmed Ali Butt’s show where he said, “If we put a little effort into it, just like my songs from 15 to 20 years ago,
such as ‘Jatt Charya Kacheri,’ at that time, no such songs were coming from India.
They followed this trend, and after that, they started making songs in the same way. Anwar Aziz, our respected politician from Narowal, once met me in court and said there is a compliment for you, especially this Sikh guy is following your music style. Basically, Pakistan should take pride as we started the trend.”
He was of the opinion that old singers are always angry at new talent. “This used to happen to me, and now singers of my generation are doing it to youngsters. Music of every generation should be respected and enjoyed.”
During a recent Ramadan show, Pakistani actress Hina Dilpazeer, famous for playing the beloved character of Mumtaz, also known as Momo, in the popular sitcom ‘Bulbulay,’ revealed something surprising. She said she’s not allowed to play the ditzy Momo anywhere else. This includes not just on TV or in movies, but also at events or award shows. It’s part of her contract.
Momo’s character is an older lady who’s sweet but forgetful. She often forgets names, even of her own family and everyday things around the house. Her mix-ups and funny mistakes are loved by viewers. When she messes up, she says “oof” and puts her hand on her forehead, which has become a famous reaction on the show.
Talking about her situation, Dilpazeer said, “I have it written down that I can’t play this character (Momo) anywhere else. Yes, I did a commercial where I was asked if I could play Momo, and they said yes, but it was only for the commercial.”
Apart from Dilpazeer, the main cast of Bulbulay includes Nabeel, Ayesha Omar, and Mehmood Aslam. The show debuted in 2009 and has become one of Pakistan’s most successful TV series. It holds the record for being the longest-running TV show in the country.
Momo’s character has gained a big fanbase over time, becoming one of Pakistan’s most loved and well-known TV characters. Her funny timing and actions have made her popular with viewers of all ages, making Dilpazeer’s role a key part of Bulbulay’s success.
Talking about Momo, she praised the writer Ali Rehman for creating such a great character and her funny chemistry with on-screen son Nabeel. Since they had worked together before, it was a lot of fun. “A lot of times, we had to do multiple takes,” reminisced Dilpazeer, “which would often irritate Khoobsurat (Ayesha Omar) because Nabeel, Mehmood, and I would constantly laugh at each other’s gestures and cues.”
The Counter Terrorism department (CTD) has obtained a forensic report of the powder found in the suspicious letters sent to judges of the High Court and Supreme Court (SC).
At least four SC judges and judges of the high court—eight of the Islamabad High Court and six of the Lahore High Court—received the letters, creating fear among the judiciary.
Justice Ali Baqar Najfi of Lahore High Court (LHC) was the last judge to receive a letter filled with white powder.
The CTD registered two FIRs against unknown people and initiated an investigation into the matter.
The report revealed that arsenic was mixed in powder found in the letters. The sources of GEO also uncovered that 10 percent arsenic was mixed in the powder, as a higher amount of arsenic could be “very poisonous” and harmful to the human body.
The investigators have obtained videos of the CCTV cameras installed near the letterboxes in the sub-divisional post office in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi.
The UN Human Rights Council was on Friday debating whether to demand a halt in arms sales to Israel, whose genocide in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people.
If the text is adopted, it would mark the first time that the United Nations’ top rights body has taken a position on the bloodiest-ever genocide to beset the besieged Palestinian territory.
The draft text calls on countries to “cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel”.
This, it said, is needed among other things “to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights”.
It stresses that the International Court of Justice ruled in January “that there is a plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza.
Friday’s draft resolution, which was brought forward by Pakistan on behalf of all Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states except Albania, calls for “an immediate ceasefire” and “for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance”.
It comes after the UN Security Council in New York last week also finally passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire — thanks to an abstention from Washington, Israel’s closest ally and largest arms supplier.
However, the ceasefire demand has had no impact on the ground.
Palestinian militants also took more than 250 hostages on October 7, and 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The rights council draft resolution does not name Hamas but it does condemn the firing of rockets at Israeli civilian areas and demands “the immediate release of all remaining hostages”.
The strongly worded text repeatedly names Israel, stressing it is “the occupying Power”.
It demands that Israel end its occupation of all Palestinian territories and “immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment”.
The text, which was revised late on Thursday removing several references to genocide, continues to express “grave concern at statements by Israeli officials amounting to incitement to genocide”.
And it urges countries to “prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within and from Gaza”.
It warns in particular “against any large-scale military operations in the city of Rafah” in the south of the densely populated Gaza Strip, where well over one million civilians are sheltering, warning of “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
The draft resolution also condemns “the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in Gaza”, where the UN has warned that famine is looming.
And it slammed “the unlawful denial of humanitarian access, wilful impediment to relief supplies and deprivation of objects indispensable to the survival of civilians, including food, water, electricity, fuel and telecommunications, by Israel”.
The text also condemns Israel’s “use of explosive weapons with wide area effects by Israel in populated areas in Gaza”.
Friday’s draft resolution deplores the fact that Israel has persistently refused to cooperate with numerous investigations ordered by the UN rights council.
And it insists on the “imperative of credible, timely and comprehensive accountability for all violations of international law” in Gaza.
It calls on the Commission of Inquiry on the rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories — the highest-level UN investigation launched prior to October 7 — to probe all “direct and indirect transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, the occupying Power”.
The team, it said, should identify the weapons used since October 7 and “analyse the legal consequences of these transfers”.
The investigators should present their findings to the council at its 59th session, which will be held in mid-2025, it said.
The spirit of charity among Pakistanis has been a constant source of strength amidst the country’s numerous challenges. Organizations like the Edhi Foundation and Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, along with various other initiatives, have demonstrated the generosity of the people. This spirit of giving has consistently lifted Pakistan from its lowest points.
A heartwarming story recently emerged about Qaiser Hassan, a 26-year-old tailor from Mianwali District. For the past six years, Qaiser has been sewing clothes for orphaned children in his area every Eid, free of charge. He explained that he does this because he is unable to support these children financially, so he contributes in this way instead.
Indian actor Hina Khan, known for her roles in TV hits like ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai,’ is currently in Madina. She’s on a spiritual journey to Saudi Arabia to spend the remaining days of Ramadan in devotion.
On Instagram, Hina Khan posted pictures of her visit to Masjid-e-Nabawi and shared her experience of Iftar there. Expressing gratitude, she wrote, “Alhamdullilah. Ramazan 2024 I won’t say much, bus bulaawa tha Aur Kuch nahi..Mere Nabi (peace be upon him) ki Mohabbat Alhamdullilah..”
To keep things positive, Hina turned off the comments under her post. She also shared several pictures on her Instagram stories, giving fans a glimpse into her spiritual journey.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director Media and Communication Aliya Rashid has resigned from her post on Friday.
Aliya was hired under the tenure of interim PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf in October 2023 as the director of media and communication. She had already worked with the board for a short period in 2009 under Umar Farooq Kalson.
She was the first woman director to work as media head at PCB.
PCB has announced the appointment of Sami ul Hasan Burney as the new Director of Media and Communication.
Popular actress Sonya Hussyn recently shared a funny story about a wardrobe malfunction she experienced at an awards ceremony. She, along with her sisters Sana and Saima, was chatting with host Nida Yasir on ARY Digital’s Ramadan show ‘Shan e Suhoor’. They talked about their bond as sisters, their careers, and some embarrassing moments.
Sonya recalled the incident when she wore a pink sari and had a wardrobe malfunction at an awards ceremony abroad.
“It happened to me just recently at an awards ceremony in Canada,” Hussyn started. One of the designers made this really nice, pink sequin saree for me. It had a halter neck blouse decorated with jeweled lace.”
Remembering the embarrassing moment, the actor said, “I was sitting at the event when another actor called me from behind, saying ‘Hi Sonya.’ I turned back to respond to her, and suddenly, the halter neck of my blouse broke.”
“At that moment, Ali Rehman Khan and Yasir Hussain, who were hosting the event, came towards me to sing a song for Pakistan,” she recalled.
The celebrity revealed that in a quick decision, she decided to wrap the sari around her arms to deal with the situation. She tried to make a fashion statement in a moment of panic before eventually singing the patriotic anthem ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ with the famous singer Atif Aslam.
“No one knew about the wardrobe malfunction, but it was a terrible moment for me,” Hussyn concluded.
Hussyn recently played the main character Noor in the TV drama ‘Tere Bina Mein Nahi’, with Shehzad Sheikh and Aiza Awan.